Running in University?

[feens]

Every team is going to differ on these issues. I would guess that most teams allow any athletes (within reason) to train with them. As to who gets to go to different meets, etc., will depend on a number of factors I'm sure, and how these factors are weighted would depend on the individual coaches.

[J]

Most ontario universities require guys to run 6k in under 20 minutes (3:20 per km). If they can do that they are guaranteed a spot on the team. Of course if your part of a team like Guelph running 3:20s probably won't put you in the top 7. So while your on the team you won't race as much or at all. Hope that helps.

[J]

And I was referring to Cross Country in my last comment. For track I believe you have an inter-squad race to decide who makes the team.

[pmac]

Sept 19, 2009 15:31:06 GMT -5 J said:

Most ontario universities require guys to run 6k in under 20 minutes (3:20 per km). If they can do that they are guaranteed a spot on the team. Of course if your part of a team like Guelph running 3:20s probably won't put you in the top 7. So while your on the team you won't race as much or at all. Hope that helps.

I would love to know where you're getting that information from. Incidentally, I hope your barber gives better haircuts than your informant gives information about the university running scene.

[bg16]

It is definitely different wherever you go. At my school everyone is invited to train with the team, and everyone gets in the first couple races. After that the varsity team gets named and the rest are encouraged to keep training with the group and hopefully make the team next year. You can still get in a few races in octoboer running unattached while training with your team, you just won't get funded for races.

[J]

I visited both McMaster and Western and was told by athletes from both schools. And my barber gives great haircuts if your interested.

[ahutch]

Well, at the Western 6K time trial last week, only six vets and one rookie broke 20:00. And yet the other two rookies, who ran 20:36 and 21:18, ran for Western this weekend at the McGill Invitational. So you might want to rethink what you understood as a "requirement" (and get some impartial opinions about that haircut).

[kid]

J's post for Western is true. Every other year the standard has been 20 minutes for 6k for the year, however, as this year the team has been hit hard by injuries to several of our veteran men, Bob was lenient and took 2 rookies and a vet who hadn't made standard.

[pmac]

Sept 20, 2009 10:32:16 GMT -5 kid said:

J's post for Western is true. Every other year the standard has been 20 minutes for 6k for the year, however, as this year the team has been hit hard by injuries to several of our veteran men, Bob was lenient and took 2 rookies and a vet who hadn't made standard.

I'm aware that J's post was somewhat true for one team in the OUA. But to make a statement like that ("you must run under 20 minutes for 6k") just because a couple guys at two universities in the entire Ontario told him so is silly. For the record, I know more than one guy on the Mac team who cannot run under 20 minutes for 6K, but who are not forbidden from training and racing for the team. And they certainly should not be!

To answer the original poster, and to agree with bg16 and feens, it will absolutely be different everywhere you go. Even the mighty Guelph had guys running for them yesterday at the Vic Matthews Open who cannot run 3:20 k's over 6 kilometres, and a lot of years (and likely this one as well) they're the best team in the country. Hopefully that clears the water a little.

[trackstar]

Yeah you should really just contact the coaches of the school you're interested in. They could tell you exactly what they would expect from you in order to compete.